Turkish companies increased the import of pig iron by 3.9pc but reduced hot briquetted iron (HBI) imports by 18.3pc in January-September 2020.
Pig iron imports to Turkey reached 929,000mt in the first nine months of the year, up from 894,000mt in the prior-year period, according to Turkish statistical source SteelData. CIS countries supplied 79.2pc of the material.
Russia, however, decreased its pig iron shipments to Turkey by 14.4pc to 506,000mt during the period under review amid higher demand in the domestic market, while Ukraine increased its export of the material by 64.3pc to 230,000mt.
Turkey’s pig iron imports from Germany, Brazil, and South Africa totaled 83,000mt, 77,000mt and 21,000mt, respectively, in the January-September period.
HBI imports in Turkey declined to 374,000mt in the first nine months of the year from 458,000mt in the same period last year, according to SteelData.
Libya was the main HBI supplier to Turkey and increased its shipments of the material almost three time to 155,000mt. The US, another big supplier, increased its HBI shipments to Turkey by 76.9pc to 136,000mt. Turkey’s HBI imports from Russia dropped by 68.9pc to 81,000mt during the same period.
It should be noted that in September Libya was the only HBI supplier to Turkey, while the USA and Russia suspended shipments. The situation may change in the coming months but will depend on the procurement strategy of Turkish companies.